miamiherald
Tynka Gudas broke the news.
Hey, Panthers fans! she said on a social media post shared by the team Wednesday afternoon.
I know its been three years, but I have good news: Im coming back to Florida, and Im bringing my dad with me.
And thats how the hockey world learned, officially, that defenseman and fan favorite Radko Gudas was returning to the Florida Panthers.
He signed a six-year deal that carries a $1.5 million annual cap hit.
Florida traded with the Anaheim Ducks for Gudas negotiation rights on Monday, giving them about 48 hours to swing a deal with Gudas before he hit the open market as an unrestricted free agent.
She was excited; she was thrilled that she could say it, Gudas said Friday.
She was really happy.
She got it in a couple tries.
Yeah.
Very, very excited.
I think she might be the most excited to see her friends again when we come back.
Gudas friends inside the Panthers organization are going to be excited to see him as well.
Not too long ago, the veteran defenseman known for his big hits and his physicality was part of the initial group that helped the Panthers rise to their current era of prominence.
He was part of president of hockey operations and general manager Bill Zitos inaugural free agent signing class.
Gudas said he heard from just about every player who is still on the team that he played with during his first tenure with the Panthers a list that includes nine players (forwards Aleksander Barkov, Sam Bennett, Anton Lundell, Eetu Luostarinen, Sam Reinhart Matthew Tkachuk and Carter Verhaeghe; plus defensemen Aaron Ekblad and Gustav Forsling).
During three seasons with Florida from 2021 to 2023, Gudas played a key role in helping craft the Panthers identity as it is seen today and was a respected member of the dressing room.
But the furthest the team got during Gudas tenure was the Stanley Cup Final, losing to the Vegas Golden Knights in five games in his final year before he left in free agency.
The Panthers followed with back-to-back championships immediately after Gudas departure and show no signs of slowing down, even if injuries kept them out of the playoffs all together last season.
So while this reunion is sentimental in many ways, its also about business about achieving the ultimate goal, a phrase he used five times during his 15-minute media availability.
Once I left, I felt like personally I havent finished my work down there, Gudas said.
The boys won the Cup two times, and it was awesome to see them win and to see them have success.
But in the corner [of my mind], it was also like, I wish I could have been there as well.
Gudas, who turned 36 last month, is entering his 15th NHL season and is under contract through his age-41 season, just finished a three-season stint with the Anaheim Ducks.
While there, he logged 47 points (nine goals, 38 assists) over 203 games and had a plus-minus rating of plus-16.
He also served as Anaheims captain the final two seasons of his time there.
But for Gudas, the title was merely that a title.
He didnt change his approach to his game or his leadership.
His role was just heightened on a team that needed it.
With his return to Florida, Gudas plans to stick with what has gotten him this far in his NHL career.
The guys are winners, he said of the Panthers, and Im going to try to be as much of a help as I can be.
Whatever there is for me, Im ready to take on the role on that.
On the ice, Gudas role will be on Floridas third defense pair, likely rotating in and out with Dmitry Kulikov and either Uvis Balinskis or Alexander Petrovic.
The Panthers top two defense pairs are Forsling with Ekblad and Niko Mikkola with Seth Jones.
Gudas and Kulikov have more than 1,100 combined games of NHL experience between them.
Having such a veteran third pair worked for the Panthers during both championship runs, as Kulikov was paired with Oliver Ekman-Larsson during the 2024 season and Nate Schmidt during the 2025 campaign.
In addition to Gudas, the Panthers traded for star winger Brady Tkachuk, depth forward Garnet Hathaway, and goaltenders Jacob Markstrom and Akira Schmid in addition to signing a few depth players in free agency to round out the roster.
Im gonna try to be in the best possible condition I can be, Gudas said, and just play my role and make sure that I bring some more fire again into the battle.